Drones latest: Pentagon claims East Coast objects are not military as Congress gets briefing on mysterious origins
Federal agencies come together to address unidentified flying objects amid growing concern
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Federal officials continue to insist there is no threat to national security or public safety following the recent spate of drone sightings over New Jersey and New York, and amid growing public demands for an explanation.
“Completely understand the concerns, completely will reinforce we’re taking it seriously,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday at an afternoon news conference. Ryder spoke as lawmakers attended a classified House Intelligence Committee briefing on the matter.
The drones are not assets from the Department of Defense, he noted.
Ryder’s remarks come after White House national security communications adviser John Kirby assured that drone activity along the East Coast was “lawful” and “legal.”
Earlier in the day the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) released a joint statement on the issue, saying they had not “identified anything anomalous.”
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” the federal agencies said.
Mystery drones are not Iranian, Chinese – or Martian – says intelligence committee member
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Biden admin is ‘in control of drones’ as MAGAworld pushes wild theories about mystery sightings
New York governor demands Biden action on mystery drones after airfield shut down: ‘This has gone too far’
Pentagon experts shut down theory that drones are from Iranian ‘mothership’: ‘Not any truth to that’
Pentagon officials shut down Representative Jeff Van Drew’s theory that the mysterious drones spotted over New Jersey and several other states are from a “mothership” sent from “Iran.”
“There is not any truth to that,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said last week of the Republican’s claims.
“There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States,” Singh added.
Democratic Representative Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, confirmed the drones are not Iranian on Sunday.
“It is not the Iranians, it is not the Chinese,” he said. “They aren’t Martians.”
Trump called out for ‘fat-shaming’ Chris Christie with AI image of him eating McDonald’s surrounded by drones
Donald Trump is facing backlash for trolling Chris Christie with a bizarre AI-generated image showing the former New Jersey governor eating McDonald’s while surrounded by drones.
Mysterious lights have been spotted in the skies above New Jersey and New York in recent weeks, fueling speculation about the origins and causing federal officials to admit they don’t know who or what is behind them. Between November 19 and December 13 alone, almost 1,000 drone sightings have been recorded in the Garden State, the Office of Emergency Management confirmed to the New York Post.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday there is “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
Read more:
Trump called out for AI image of Christie eating McDonald’s surrounded by drones
Mysterious lights have been spotted in the skies above New Jersey and New York in recent weeks
Arrests made in connection with drone activity
Police have made arrests connected to drone activity in San Francisco and Boston over the last week.
Officials arrested Yinpiao Zhou on December 9 at the San Francisco International Airport after they claimed he flew a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base while taking photos of the area.
“This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base’s layout, which is against the law,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation’s military personnel and facilities.”
Then, on Saturday night Boston police arrested Robert Duffy and Jeremy Folcik for flying drones “dangerously close” to Logan International Airport. Investigators are searching for a third suspect they believe fled the scene, according to a statement from the Boston Police Department.
Many drone spottings could be cases of ‘mistaken identity,’ officials say
Some of the drone spottings across several states in the US could be cases of “mistaken identity,” with residents unknowingly reporting legally-operated small aircraft, DHS and FBI officials have said.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also said some drones could be commercial.
The FBI has received some 5,000 tips regarding drone activity, but fewer than 100 were “deemed worthy of further investigative activity.” an agency spokesperson said over the weekend.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments